In Dover: A park for people

Wednesday

Jan 30, 2013 at 3:15 AMJan 30, 2013 at 10:17 AM

By Michelle Kingstonmkingston@fosters.com

DOVER — Conceptual design plans full of rope swings, slides, a waterfall and even a miniature stage proposed for the renovation of Henry Law Park were praised at Tuesday night's input session at the McConnell Center.

This third input session was used to go over the plan designed by Terra Firm Landscape Architecture of Portsmouth to improve the playground area located in the lower portion of Henry Law Park and to receive further commentary from the public about what may still be missing in the plan and what may need to be removed.

Fewer than a dozen community members attended the session, but according to Recreation Director Gary Bannon who led the meeting, that may be a sign that residents approve of the plans or trust his decisions so far.

“We started the meetings in 2012 with two public meetings where we brainstormed,” Bannon said. “We asked, 'What is it that you can see this area of the park becoming and how can we work together as a community, as city staff, as the Children's Museum, community members, the Chamber, the Rotary? How can we all put our heads together and put together a plan?'”

The previous sessions were used to create what Bannon calls a “laundry list” of items that the community would like to see added to the park, with no monetary restrictions.

“We also talked about elements of safety, what type of field they want to have, where the arts may tie in, health factors, green energy,” Bannon said. “We want to make this a park that people want to come to.”

The $125,000 addressed in the Capital Improvements Program for Fiscal Year 2012 toward improving the park and the $10,000 grant from Public Service of New Hampshire toward the Children's Museum to create the design plans will not be nearly enough money to pay for the proposed equipment.

“There is much more in this plan than the budget allows us, but it is still a moving target,” Bannon said. “We can't put a number out there yet.”

According to Bannon, however, community organizations have come forward with interest in sponsoring certain parts of the park, but he could not comment on who they were at this point, as they have not officially given a donation.

Executive Director of the Children's Museum of New Hampshire Justine Roberts is confident they will receive donations and believes those who donate will appreciate the publicity of their business, organization or family on plaques on certain equipment, benches or tables.

“But, we haven't yet done the list,” she said, of those interested in donating money and sponsoring items in the park.

The laundry list of ideas created by the community of what they would like to see in the park, which eventually was laid out into a plan, includes the standard swings and slide, but mainly focuses on steering away from the stereotypical metal structure playgrounds and swing sets and incorporating modern and natural play pieces to the park, such as forts, wood posts for climbing, a waterfall, a high perch to climb and view the river and wildlife from above and plenty of green space to let kids be kids and run, jump, roll and tumble down.

“Most parks around here are manufactured,” Bannon said. “They are good, they are very attractive, but we are trying to change that whole dynamic and make a park that can be used for a longer period of time, not just a 20-year period of time.”

Bannon's plan is for this park to not have to be renovated again for at least another 50 years.

“This is not going to be your cookie-cutter recreation area,” he said. “It is very much a customized play area. It is meant to be that. We are trying to change the feel of it.”

Boulders, slopes, wood pillars of post to climb, sand, water and other natural features are being proposed to be included in the park.

“We are trying to get the feel of being in the outdoors from an educational perspective, a recreational and exercise perspective and also a nature perspective,” Bannon said.

Roberts said adding these natural elements are all part of the new generation of playgrounds. These elements also incorporate the surroundings of Henry Law Park, with the Cocheco River flowing aside the park.

Kemp Playground in Cambridge, Mass. has been a focal point for design plans. This playground, which Roberts said is just three years old, has many features Dover is looking to place in Henry Law Park, including a living arch and a miniature covered stage to climb on top of and to play inside, pretending to perform a show or sing a concert.

Balance beams, garden beds to learn to plant vegetables and flowers are also included in the plans, along with plenty of benches, picnic tables and trees for shade.

Deputy Mayor Robert Carrier, who attended Tuesday night's meeting, said he was pleased with the plans and looks forward to seeing the physical additions to the park.

“One concern or thought with all of this is safety,” Carrier said. “We're talking rocks, poles, gazebos that are higher, platforms …”

Roberts said safety, along with ADA accessibility, has been one of their main concerns while planning the park improvements.

“There is, in some ways, that this design gives more opportunity to those with limited mobility,” Roberts said, adding that the design of slides built into a slope removes the need of a ladder.

“In addition, water features are completely accessible,” Roberts said. “There are still things that they can't do, but I think this design gives people a lot of choices.”

Items still needing to be addressed include the amount of trees for proper shading, the amount of lights and where they will be situated throughout the park, bathrooms, water fountains and whether or not the upper part of Henry Law Park will be included, eventually, into the design plans.

With the proposed Jenny Thompson Aquatic Center also in the midst, a question addressed at the input session was what may happen to the indoor pool located in Henry Law Park. Bannon said they will have to wait and see what pans out.

Although the planning is still in the conceptual design phase, Bannon is estimating portions of the park to begin to be constructed sometime between the spring of 2014 and the summer of 2015.

“We want to get as much done at once as possible and not just do one part then another part,” he said.

The next step in the planning process is to hand the concept plan back to Terra Firma Landscape Architecture of Portsmouth to design a “somewhat” final plan.

Bannon said the possibility of another input session in the future is likely, but if one does not occur, the public is continually invited to reach out to him or other city staff members to address concerns, comments or additional items to be placed in the plans.

“This is a community park,” he said. “It is not the recreation department's park or the Children's Museum's park. It is the city's park.”